While South Carolina is currently home to nearly 3,000 solar professionals, new training programs could increase that sum to 10,000 over the next 10 years. Image: Thomas Kohler / Flickr

Cypress Creek Renewables is set to launch a partnership with Greenville Technical College in order to grow South Carolina’s PV workforce and spur the state’s economy. This partnership will assist the state’s PV sector by helping to train and prepare the next generation of energy workers.

In addition to this PV job training initiative, Cypress Creek is also putting forward a plan to invest over US$1.5 billion to develop and build 2GW of solar across 80 projects in South Carolina. Together, these 80 projects will create nearly 10,000 construction jobs and power over 600,000 homes with renewable energy.

While South Carolina is currently home to nearly 3,000 solar professionals, new training programs could increase that sum to 10,000 over the next 10 years. Cypress Creek’s initial US$25,000 investment in Greenville Technical College’s Solar Training Center will help develop a new curriculum and provide scholarship assistance to students.

Matthew McGovern, chief executive officer of Cypress Creek Renewables, said: “Cypress Creek is proud to be a major driver of employment growth in the United States. The solar industry has grown 17 times faster than the rest of the US economy. Our partnership with Greenville Technical College serves as a model for how we can continue to create good paying jobs and opportunities for American families for years to come.”